Hearts Through Time
by Wishing You Knew
Summary: For NatsumeSeries Contest- Natsume is an ace detective called The Black Cat. When he receives a call for help in finding an old friend's grandfather, he is swept off into his memories as he tries to tell the girl of his dreams how he feels. NxM


**This is an entry to NatsumeSeries Contest. Submission starts on June 21 and ends on July 21. For further information on the contest, contact Vione or Romantically Loveless.**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Gakuen Alice or the contest (If I did… guess who'd win… ^_~ heh heh heh). But I do own this idea! :D**

"_He's gone… I just—I just need help! Please, please help me find him, sir!" _A woman's voice pleaded over the phone. The man sighed and ran his fingers through his silky raven hair. He was used to the desperate begging. It was part of his job. But that doesn't mean he can't get sick of it.

"Look miss, I don't know what to tell you. You've got no information, nothing to help me out. There's nothing I can do."

The woman didn't speak for a minute. _"But sir! He's all I've got! He's…"_

Natsume stood up while her sobs rang over the speaker on his phone. He hated this part of the job, but as a private detective, he had to be realistic. There was no way he could find this woman's grandfather. She knew nothing and so nothing could be done. "Ma'am, I'm sorry. But without solid info, I can't find him."

"…_Okay,"_ she said, sighing in defeat. _"I'm sorry to have wasted your time. Thank you anyway." _

Now, Natsume Hyuuga was not a man to openly care if someone was hurt. But this woman somehow found a way to change that. He didn't know what it was, but something about her drew him to her. He didn't know her, didn't know her name, but she was familiar. But, he shook his head, that was, of course, impossible. But that couldn't explain the feeling in his gut, that warm feeling he only ever remembered getting once, back before he entered this line of work… back when he was still at that prestigious academy…

"_Natsume, Natsume, Natsume!" a cheerful voice rang out, interrupting his daily manga-reading session. With anyone else, this would've caused a silent eruption. But for this one girl, he would make an exception. She plopped down next to him and leaned her back against the tree. "Okay, you'll never guess what just happened!!"_

"_Your perverted senpais finally made their moves?" He asked, raising an eyebrow._

_She sniffed, "I have absolutely no idea what you are going on about, Hyuuga. Tono-senpai and Tsubasa-senpai are perfect gentlemen." She smiled, "It also helps that Misaki-senpai and Shizune-senpai would kill them if they found out." Natsume cracked a tiny smile that sent the girl spiraling into happiness._

"_You have got to calm down little girl, someone will think you're having a seizure. Me smiling really isn't that big of a deal anymore." And it wasn't, not since __she__ came. He smirked at her offended expression and swung his arm around her neck and pulled her against his chest. He balled up his fist and gave her a quick noogie. He laughed softly as she tried to squirm away. 'Mikan…I love you…" he thought to himself, staring at her laugh-filled eyes._

"_Excuse me? Excuse me, sir?" _The woman said frantically. Natsume shook his head lightly to clear away the memories from the past he wished he could get back to. He picked up the phone, turning off the speaker.

"Yes. What is it?"

"_Oh, its nothing. I just wanted to thank you. You have to do what you have to do." _She took in a breath. _"I guess life will have to go on without Grandpa. Thanks for your time. Goodbye."_

"Wait!" he shouted into the phone. The click never came and he could hear her light breathing.

"_Um… yes?"_

"God, I'm going to sound stupid. What is your name?" He realized how that sounded and rushed to fix it, "You know… for my records…"

He could practically hear her smile through the phone. _"Oh, that's right. I never introduced myself. Hello, my name is Mikan Sakura. It's nice to meet you… kinda."_

He chuckled, and then froze. "Mikan… Sakura… you said?" It couldn't be. Could it?

"_Last time I checked, you're right." _She giggled. _"What's the problem?"_

"Again, I'm going to sound like an idiot. Sorry in advance." She laughed again, a beautiful tinkling sound to his ears. "Can we meet somewhere? I, um, might be able to help you find him."

He heard her gasp and the phone she held fell to the floor. He raised his brows, tapping his fingers against the handset. _"Wow, I… I don't know what to say! No, wait, yes I do! Of course! Where should we meet?" _she asked excitedly.

"You know that café on Main Street, Orange Lotus?"

"_Uh-huh. Let's say in an hour?"_

"Sure. See you there."

"_Wait! Mister, I have no idea what you look like! How will I know it's you?"_

He smiled, "Trust me, when you see me, you'll know who I am." And quietly, so she couldn't hear, he added, "And if you don't, I know you."

He couldn't believe it. After all these years, he would finally come face to face with the girl he loved. It had been 5 long years since he'd seen her. He wondered how much she'd changed, if at all. Would she recognize him? He couldn't see why not. He didn't look any different. Just a little older, but that can't change so much in just 5 years. But he couldn't focus on that now. At any moment, Mikan would walk in. He had to make sure he looked casual, but prepared; aloof, but interested. There was a lot to do in cases like these, he noted.

With an hour to get ready, he had decided to perfect his looks. Though the guy really had his looks down pat, he wanted to make sure he looked good so he couldn't embarrass himself or send her running for the hills. He took a shower, dressed casually, and grabbed his bag. Stressing about what to wear burned up most of his extra time, so he might have driven a _little_ bit faster than the government tries to enforce.

As he arrived, he stopped to take a few deep breaths. He straightened up, set his shoulders, and walked into the café.

Natsume looked around quickly, looking for her. No, no one who looked like her was around. The restaurant was a ghost town, with only two waiters on hand. He sat at a table for two and dug his laptop out of his bag. He clicked onto the Alice Academy website's page for alumni. Checking to see if anyone was here yet, he quickly typed in her name, _Mikan Sakura_.

Her records popped up on the screen.

**Mikan Sakura**

**D.O.B. - January 1, 1985**

**IQ- 113**

**Family- Izumi Yukihara (Father)**_** Deceased**_**, Yuka Azumi (Mother) **_**Deceased**_**, Daisuke Sakura (Grandfather) **_**Critical Condition in Tokyo General Hospital**_

**Current Location- Tokyo, Japan**

**Spouse: None**

**Children: None**

**Occupation: Author/ Preschool Teacher (Fun in the Sun Daycare)**

Not a lot to go on, but nothing much seemed to have changed. By the looks of the updated picture in the corner of the webpage, she was still the bright, cheerful girl he had known. But the voice on the phone hadn't matched that image. The voice of Mikan Sakura now seemed older, more experienced, but on the verge of breaking out into tears.

Looking through her records now, he could see she had good reason to cry. According to his computer, her grandfather wasn't just missing, he was almost dead. And since he was all she had left… Who could blame her? So many times, she had told Natsume how much she loved her grandfather, and though he had never met the man, from the stories she told, he was someone worth knowing.

"_Polka, what are you doing? You've been sitting there with that dumb smile on your face for 2 hours! Come on, its dinner time."_

_She looked up, seemingly seeing him for the first time. "Oh, hi Natsume!" She jotted down a quick few sentences on the notebook in front of her. "I'm just writing to Grandpa! I haven't seen him since school started! And that's what, 4 months now? I can't wait for Christmas!"_

"_You're __**always **__writing to him! Doesn't he ever write back?" he asked, crossing his arms. He fought the urge to peek at the letter. He just knew those last few sentences were about him._

"_Well, DUH!! Gosh, Natsume, I thought you were smart! Grandpa is the bestest, most wonderful man there is!" He coughed discreetly, "Excluding anyone in this room, of course… Loser… Anyway! He's smart and really good at tuck-ins and singing songs and being really huggable and…and…and!" She stopped when he picked her up._

_He sat down and pulled her down onto his lap. "Little girl, just because I call you 'little girl' does not mean you have to act like one. You are 15 for heaven's sake! I really doubt that over the summer, your grandpa tucked you in and sang you to sleep. Why don't you just… tell me something you guys used to do together."_

"_Alrighty!" she said, completely oblivious of where she was sitting. "One time --and this one took place about 2 years back, okay?—me and Grandpa were at this fair in our village—this was before I moved to Tokyo to come here of course—and there was this fortune teller, right? And she was really creeping me out but Grandpa really wanted his fortune told!"_

"_Nice guy, freaking out his granddaughter just to know that he'll find love in an old barn in Canada…"_

"_First of all, that wasn't his fortune! And second, you wanted to hear a story, so shut up and listen!" She huffed, "Anyway, so he dragged me in there and sat down to get his palm read. The lady said, "You'll have many, many great-grandchildren!" in this really weird voice. And then she refused to say anything else, so Grandpa made __**me **__sit down. And I kept saying…" And on and on she went. Natsume made the occasional rude comment, but generally just let her keep rambling on. _

_So many stories and all made him crack a small smile. Not so much for the stories in general—though some were pretty cool, he had to admit—but the way she told them. Waving her arms, smiling, laughing, and bouncing slightly. All the little things she always did, all the things that always made him feel the way._

_He learned many things about her grandfather that day, but also many more things about the girl he'd fallen in love with. One thing would be that storytelling wore her out._

"_Hey. Hey, Polka dots! Wake up! Don't you want any dinner?" he sighed gustily and stood up, Mikan cradled in his arms. "Never thought I'd see the day," he muttered, "when this little girl skipped a meal…" Her hand dashed up and punched his cheek hard. He glared down at the sleeping girl, who was smiling softly. "Stupid, little, immature…"_

_But in his head, all he could think of was that one scene of her, simply smiling up at him._

He smiled at that old memory. He hadn't thought of that day in years. But knowing more about the man who'd raised the girl of his dreams wouldn't make telling her any easier. At least he'd have the satisfaction of having completed another case if she didn't recognize him. Speaking of which, where was she? He checked the time on his laptop and saw that he'd been waiting for about 20 minutes, completely lost in his thoughts.

"Natsume?" a familiar voice asked, sounding surprised. He slowly closed his laptop, revealing his face bit by bit. The woman in front of him clapped her hands together and a smile unfolded on her face. "It really is you! Oh my gosh! You'd think I would have realized it earlier… You're the Black Cat detective! You named your business after that my nickname for you? Aw! And your voice! I knew you sounded familiar! I just thought you were the Deli Man back in Nagoya or something. Wow! It's so great to see you!"

He stood. "You haven't changed much, have you?" He held out his arms impatiently. A tender look crossed his face as she rushed into them. "I missed you, Mikan," he murmured into her ear.

She wound her arms around his neck, "This reminds me of the last time we were together… on the last day of high school." She frowned against his chest. "You know, I really hate that day," she said childishly.

_That day would never be a happy occasion, for one group in particular knew there was only a small possibility that they would ever see each other again. It was a day of tears, heartbreak, and loneliness even when surrounded by many people._

_Under the shade of a giant Sakura tree, a couple embraced tightly, trying to beat time. "Natsume, I don't want to go. What if I never see you again?"_

"_Don't worry Mikan," the boy said, rubbing her back, "we will find a way. You just go home to your Grandpa, and sometime soon, I'll come visit! Okay?" She nodded slowly and buried her face deeper into his chest. He drew his jacket out farther and covered her in it, drawing her in closer._

"_I love you Natsume," she whispered._

"_I know." He tucked his hand under her chin and…_

_She pulled away. "What?" he asked._

"_I won't kiss you unless you love me!"_

"_You already know that I do. And besides, we may never see each other again. Do you want our last memories to be of a fight?"_

"_I thought…" her lips quivered. "I thought you said we'd find a way! Was that a lie? Why would you do that?"_

"_Mikan… I—"_

"_Save it. Okay, Natsume? I've got to go anyway. There's Grandpa." She untangled her self from the cocoon they had built, waving to an old man leaning heavily on a cane. "Goodbye."_

"_Mikan? Mikan! Mikan!!!" he called. She just ignored him, continuing on her way._

"Yeah… that was a bad day for me…" Natsume said, grimacing down at her.

"But that doesn't matter now! I've missed you so much! Why didn't you come to visit you jerk?!"

"But I—"

"Never mind. Now, about Grandpa. I know you said you can't… but can you try one more time? Please?"

"I don't need to." He pushed her back gently, "We need to get to the hospital. _Now!_" He grabbed his bag and her hand and ran for his car.

"What are you talking about? What hospital?! Natsume, tell me what's going on _right now!_" she demanded, pulling at his sleeve. He passed her his laptop and buckled himself in. She followed suit and opened the computer. Since she had appeared so suddenly, he hadn't had the chance to close out his windows, and so her file was still open. "No way…"she whispered. "Natsume… you're a stalker? Oh my gosh, I never knew it!"

He blushed, "Shut up already. Look at the 'Family' part."

She read it over and over. "No way. How could they know that? When did it happen? What happened?" 'Critical condition,' she mouthed the words. "Drive faster! Grandpa is dying!" she screamed. He accelerated as far as it was legal.

In the lobby of Tokyo General Hospital, Mikan was babbling to the receptionist. "My grandfather… need to see… can't wait… critical condition… Natsume drove… scared out of my mind… need help… see Grandpa… Daisuke Sakura… check your records… help me… please ma'am… Sakura… accident… don't know what happened… detective… Tokyo General Hospital… ma'am…"

"Name?" the woman asked, looking to Natsume.

"Daisuke Sakura. He's in critical condition. This is his granddaughter. We just found out today about his accident. It's really important that she sees him. Can you…?"

"Of course, of course!" she said, tapping away at her keyboard with her long, manicured fingernails. "He's in room… 506. He was moved out of Critical… yesterday, it seems, my lovelies. Only identification was a monogrammed wallet. It's a pretty common name, so we have to wait until he can talk to find out more. No one has been contacted so far… just waiting for the poor thing to wake up."

"Thank you," Mikan and Natsume said together.

"Just take the elevator to the fifth floor, and it's the sixth door on your right. Okay, dearies? If the doctors in there, tell him Narumi sent you! Alright, cuties? Buh-bye now!"

Taking a deep breath, Mikan pushed open the door to her Grandpa's room slowly, peeking her head inside. Seeing the old bald head she knew and loved on the bed, she rushed in, quickly taking his hand. "Grandpa! Grandpa!! Grandpa!" she cried. "What happened to you? What did they do to you?"

Natsume stood quietly off to the side, one hand on her shoulder, the other deep in his pocket. The old man turned his head slightly and cracked open one eye. He closed it and blinked them both open. "Mikan," he rasped, his voice hoarse from disuse, "my dear little Mikan. You found me."

"It's all thanks to Natsume, Grandpa! He's a detective now! I went to him without knowing it was him but he knew it was me and we met up and he told me he knew what happened!"

"Natsume, eh?" Grandpa croaked, turning to look at the man. "How's it going boy?"

"I'm doing fine." He smirked, "Obviously, you cannot say the same, can you Daisuke?"

"I told you! It's _Mr. Daisuke_ to you, punk!" Natsume waved his hand carelessly. "Little monkey child…" Grandpa muttered.

"Wait," Mikan said, standing up off the ground. "You two know each other?"

"Yup," they said together.

_Natsume knocked tentatively at the door to the Sakura home. He couldn't not come see her, especially now. No one came to the door. He knocked again and this time, he could hear a few faint thuds from inside the house. "Comin', I'm comin'!" A grouchy, old voice shouted before throwing open the door. "What the heck do you want?"_

"_Is Mikan here?"_

"_Depends," the man shrugged. "Who's askin'?"_

"_Natsume Hyuuga."_

"_Doesn't ring a bell. Sorry laddie, no luck today." The old man cackled._

"_Okay. Just tell her I came."_

"_That's all? Just that you came? Well, you're an odd one, aintcha? No love songs or declarations?"_

"_Lots of guys do that?"_

"_Nope! You'd be the first!" He winked, "Wanna be special in this house?"_

_Natsume's eyebrows raised, "No, that's alright. She just needs to know that I came."_

_The man turned and hobbled down to the couch. He stuck out his cane and tapped the couch opposite of him. Natsume followed, sitting warily. "Now, my boy, why don't you tell your Grandpa what's going through that tiny adolescent skull of yours, hm?"_

"_Mikan's mad at me because I said we might not ever see each other again. I can't let her think I didn't try. I'm moving to Ishikawa to go to college."_

"_Why so far?"_

"_It was the only school that offers the classes I need." His face fell a bit, "I just don't want to leave her."_

"_You love her, don't you, sport?" He smiled widely at Natsume's surprised face. "I may be old; Hyuuga, but I've still got my smarts. And I'll let you in on a secret…" He leaned closer, "She loves you too."_

"_No way."_

"_It's true! You're all she talks about, sonny! If I were you, I'd make a move! It's not everyday you meet the love of your life! Go for it kid! If not now, then later! Good luck. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take my medicine. See ya boy!" And he tottered off._

Natsume looked at Mikan, "Let's just say, he gave me some really good advice, which I intend to follow soon." He grinned at the old man.

Grandpa coughed lightly into his fist, "Oi boy, give me some time with my granddaughter, would ya? Thanks chief." Natsume slipped quietly through the door, shutting it silently.

"Grandpa! I'm so glad you're alright! What happened?"

"I got hit by a car. The owner felt so bad too and he got pretty banged up himself, so I forgave him. But that's not what I want to talk to you about, Mikan. And I think you probably know what I _do _want to talk about."

"Do we have to? He's probably listening at the door."

"And if he is, he'll get a great show, won't he?" Grandpa smiled, "Now, honey, from this experience, we've learned that your dear grandfather is no longer immortal. And I was kinda hoping to see my baby's wedding… If you know what I mean."

"Grandpa, stop it! Natsume does not love me! Give it up already!!" she said, blushing deeply.

"Have you asked him? And don't you love him? Don't lie to your Grandpa now, young lady!"

"No… and yes…"

Grandpa's eyes softened, "So go out there and tell that idiotic boy. I know for a fact he'll wait forever, but that's just not the Sakura way, is it?"

"How do you know? That he'd wait, I mean."

"'Cause that punk has been waiting for 13 years. I think its time he finally gets the girl." Mikan smiled and walked towards the door. "And sweetie!" he called, "Do you think you'd let your dear old Gramps watch?" In reply, she slammed the door behind her.

Down the hall were some vending machines and Natsume. Feeling her grandfather's words deep inside herself, she ran over to him and opened her mouth—

"Hey, you want anything? The stuff here isn't half bad for a hospital."

"Um… no, that's alright." She took a deep breath, "There's something I need to talk to you about. It's really important."

"Sure. What's up little girl?"

"I wanted to tell you that I—"Natsume's cell phone rang, interrupting Mikan's confession before it had even began.

"Sorry," he said, checking the caller id, "but I've got to take this. Can you hold on a second?" He flipped it open and started talking. "Hey… Yeah… You got it? Good... When should--… Oh, okay… You're sure…? Right… No, the exact opposite! … Yeah, that one… It's special… Well, I can't just… Okay… Okay… I've got to go… Yeah, I'll talk to you later… Bye."

"Big trouble on the Case of the Mysterious Phone Calls, Mister Black Cat?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"No, actually it's on the Case of the Incompetent Bunny Boy Best Friend. Ruka needs my help. Do you think Daisuke would mind if I split? I really can't help it."

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll be fine with it." They stood there for a second in awkward silence. "It was… nice seeing you again, Natsume."

"You too, Polka Dots, you too." She pouted and rolled her eyes. "Hey, you wanna try the Orange Lotus again later today? I still owe you some food there."

"Sure! I'd love to!" She beamed, "What time?"

His phone buzzed with an incoming text which he quickly checked. "Around 8PM?"

"Why so late?"

"That's when the best deals are."

She thought about that, "Well, alright! See you then." She gave him a quick hug and ran back to Grandpa's hospital room.

Natsume ran a hand through his hair and took off to find Ruka.

"Oh Natsume, thank God you're here! We really need you— What's wrong?" Ruka asked, slinging his arm over his best friend's shoulders.

"I think Mikan was just about to tell me how she feels… but you just went and blew it for me." Natsume scowled, "Thanks man."

"I can't help it!" Ruka yelped. "It's Hotaru's birthday and if I don't throw her an awesome party…" he gulped.

"You're whipped, dude."

"And so are you. So start setting out those crab brains!"

After an hour, everything was set and ready. The tables were laden with all the Ice Queen's favorites, her favorite music was playing, and all her 'favorite' people were there. Except for Mikan.

"Where's the idiot?" Hotaru asked Ruka as they slow danced around the floor. The surprise had gone perfectly; she even showed a little emotion. She'd thanked Ruka with a sweet kiss and now they had a spotlight dance.

"I don't know." He shrugged, "If we told her about the party, she would've blabbed. I'll get Natsume on it right… Hotaru?"

"Yes Bunny Boy?"

"Where's Natsume?"

Back at the Orange Lotus, another couple was twirling around the dance floor, tight in each others arms.

She looked up at him.

He looked down at her.

She reached up, closing her eyes, touching his cheek. He slid his hand down, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, staring down at her. Closer and closer they moved until… their lips met.

Slowly, Natsume's eyes drifted closed, and with his lips caressing hers, so did her legs, giving out onto the floor. Without breaking the sweet, tender kiss, he lifted her up, placing her on the booth's table, and stroked her long, brown hair.

She pulled away swiftly, "Just to clear the air," she said, breathing heavily, "I love you. I didn't want you to think I'm kissing you for no reason—"

He kissed her again quickly. "I love you too," he said with a crooked grin.

Turns out that Grandpa did get to see his grandbaby get married. The fortune teller was sorta right in her prediction too, he did get great-grandkids, but not too many, many.

**The End**

**So there it is folks! My entry for Vione and Romantically Loveless' contest! Did you like it? Drop me a review! Didja notice Narumi? Think it was creepy? Tell me in your review! Was the kiss scene good? I tried to make it right! Review me your thoughts.**

**Onto extremely serious business… My computer got a virus. I'm on my mom's computer now, which she gracefully agreed to let me use a little. Emphasis on 'a little'. We're looking into getting a new one, but I don't know when it's happening, fellas. So probably not a lot of updates or new stories. :( I'll be on as much as I can! What really stinks is that I had a great idea for a story… But I'll just write it manually and type it up as fast as I can, 'kay?**

**Here's hoping I win! (But I doubt I will… :( Too many really great stories for the contest…) **

**~Wishing-chan!!!**

**(By the way, I'm thinking of changing my nickname… Not PENname, NICKname~ But I don't want to use my real name… What should I do???)**

**(And thanks for all the birthday wishes guys!! =^-^=)**


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